I wasn't sure if anyone had made a horror film discussion thread, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

I'll keep it pretty simple for now.

Some of my modern (2000 and onwards) faves include (in no particular order):

You're Next, V/H/S ("Second Honeymoon" is a particular highlight), Neon Demon, Silent Hill, 28 Days Later, The Babadook, It Follows, SAW, The Descent, The Green Inferno, Oculus, The Witch, The Sacrament, House of The Devil, Black Swan, Housebound, REPO! The Genetic Opera, A Horrible Way to Die, The Cell, Beyond The Black Rainbow, and The Lords of Salem to name a few.

Now, I know not all of these are "horror" per se, but they have frightening/disturbing elements to them that I think they each fit the bill well enough to meet the category. Plus, I'm not listening sequels or remakes for now, because it gets kinda tedious splitting hairs about good/bad qualities among them.

I would like to start a discussion about any of these thoughts, likes/dislikes OR any others you guys want to add.

FROM EVANGELION:"Acts of Man are greater than acts of God!"

"I'm saying that I love you."

NOT FROM EVANGELION: "You are excrement. You can change yourself into gold."

When I was young, I probably overexposed myself to slasher and gore films, particularly b movies. On my twelth birthday I went to my first horror movie convention and got to meet my idols such as Wes Craven, Clive Barker, Bruce Campbell, Lloyd Kaufman, and Robert Englund. Unfortunately my interest in the genre has waned over the years. For while only crap was coming out of mainstream horror, although it seems that in the last five years or so there's been some good stuff I need to catch up on, such as Cabin in the Woods and Oculus. Don't Breathe and Lights Out both seem good also.

As for my personal favorites, off the top of my head I would say: A Nightmare On Elm Street 1 and 3 and New Nightmare, Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness, Scream (just the first one), Dawn of the Dead (original, although the remake was good too), Return of the Living Dead, Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland, Slither, and now this list is getting too long so I'll stop here.

"Chaos is merely a human construct. The world only knows its own natural law of harmony and order.""So you are saying it's the human heart that throws the world into confusion."

Yes, this one blew me away. Kaz recommended it to me on here and it's exactly my kind of film; atmospheric, hypnotic and by all means not a horror by way of monsters, scares/frights, slasher or gore (although it contains small elements of each) - but instead true disturbed psychological horror - the horror of the human mind. The flashback scene, and the titular rainbow, gave me such a sense of existential dread that I actually felt physically uneasy watching it. I feel like I'm talking it up too much, as it's definitely not a film for everyone, but I for one loved it.

As for a contribution of my own...

Blue Monday wrote:I watched Session 9 (2001) last night and have to say, as someone who considers themselves something of a horror connoisseur, it was really chilling and engrossing. It's not perfect; there's one or two things I would've changed or tweaked, but ultimately it took me to a place I didn't expect and subverted/betrayed (in a good way) most expectations. Highly recommended. One of the best psychological horrors I've seen, probably.

Session 9 gets under your skin. I couldn't shake it or the voices for days.

Avatar: "Do you feel like a hero yet?""Surprise is an insubstantial blade, a sword worthless in war. It breaks when troops rally, it snaps when commanders hold the line, but fear never fades. So let the enemy know we come, let their fears defeat them as everything falls dark, as the worlds sun sets, as the city is wreathed in its final night. Let ten thousand howls promise ten thousand claws. The Night Lords are coming, and no soul that stands against us shall see another dawn"-excerpt from The Tenebrous Path

I don't particularly care for the horror genre that much, not because I don't like scary movies, but because I find that the genre feels tired and lazy nowadays. Cheap thrills and all that. I think watching Paranormal Activity in theaters and seeing the kinds of reactions people were having cemented my opinions on this matter when they screamed and RAN OUT OF THE THEATER.Also, I hated The Blair Witch Project and found the main cast so irritating that I wanted them to die so that the film could end, which is probably not a good thing for a horror film.

That said, I do really like the following, in no particular order:

-Audition (1999)-The Fly (1986)-The Shining (1980)-The Thing (1982)-A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)-Evil Dead II (1987) [side note: I don't consider Army of Darkness a pure horror film, as it has enough comedic elements that push it straight into Goofytown, EDII at least has a decent horror feel to it without going too over the top with the comedy]-The Exorcist (1973)-Psycho (1960)-Alien (1979) [side note: I personally prefer Aliens, but, again, I feel that Aliens is much more in the realm of action/thriller than horror film.]-Dawn of the Dead (1978) [Although on a recent rewatch, the film does feel overly long]

Among the people who use the Internet, many are obtuse. Because they are locked in their rooms, they hang on to that vision which is spreading across the world. But this does not go beyond mere ‘data’. Data without analysis [thinking], which makes you think that you know everything. This complacency is nothing but a trap. Moreover, the sense of values that counters this notion is paralyzed by it.

Since I had the day off I had a marathon re-watch of the "big three" French extreme horror. I've definitely filled my quota of blood and guts for a while.

SPOILER: Show

Martyrs - 8/10Fifteen years after a horrifying experience of abduction and prolonged torture, Lucie embarks on a bloody quest for revenge against her oppressors. Along with her childhood friend, Anna, who also suffered abuse, she quickly descends, without hope, into madness and her own delusions. Anna, left on her own begins to re-experience what Lucie did when she was only twelve years old.I always lament that this film's amazing first act is sullied by the over-long torture sequence that makes up most of the second act.

Inside - 6/10Four months after the death of her husband, a woman on the brink of motherhood is tormented in her home by a strange woman who wants her unborn baby.Pretty tense, but the over-the-top violence and bad CGI bits kind of took me out of the moment.

High Tension - 7/10Best friends Marie and Alexia decide to spend a quiet weekend at Alexia's parents' secluded farmhouse. But on the night of their arrival, the girls' idyllic getaway turns into an endless night of horror.I like the twist in this one, even though it leaves gaping plot holes throughout the film.

Avatar: "Do you feel like a hero yet?""Surprise is an insubstantial blade, a sword worthless in war. It breaks when troops rally, it snaps when commanders hold the line, but fear never fades. So let the enemy know we come, let their fears defeat them as everything falls dark, as the worlds sun sets, as the city is wreathed in its final night. Let ten thousand howls promise ten thousand claws. The Night Lords are coming, and no soul that stands against us shall see another dawn"-excerpt from The Tenebrous Path

Guy Nacks wrote:I don't particularly care for the horror genre that much, not because I don't like scary movies, but because I find that the genre feels tired and lazy nowadays. Cheap thrills and all that. I think watching Paranormal Activity in theaters and seeing the kinds of reactions people were having cemented my opinions on this matter when they screamed and RAN OUT OF THE THEATER.

Yea, those commercials were so damn ridiculous man. The 19 year old me actually bought into the hype of that crap too, which I don't like admitting. My buddies and I rented Paranormal Activity 2 and it turned out to be just the biggest pile of garbage, with the big scares being cabinets opening and closing, and a haunted pool vacuum.

The original Insidious I was lucky enough to have seen in the theaters with some friends, and is probably my favorite horror film of the last fifteen years. Haven't seen many others recently though, since my buddy who I'd see new horror flicks with goes and sees them with his girlfriend.

Love the genre though, and have ever since I was a little kid. Nightmare on Elm Street, The Thing, and Evil Dead 2 are easily my favorites(so original!!), but I really dig The Craft and The Shining too.

There's also nothing better than getting together with some good friends and cracking jokes during some crappy straight to netflix horror release.

I used to work in a factory and I was really happy because I could daydream all day -- I.C.And thanks to EVA, I've started like myself and that has made me very happy. Mr. Anno, please keep working on EVA a lot more. and thank you so much for everything!!

Director Black wrote:To the person who started this thread, maybe we can suggest horror movies that we haven't seen to others. What are some good underrated horror films?

What subgenres of horror interest you (slashers, supernatural, psychological, body, etc) and do you only like modern horror or are you willing to watch stuff from the 70's/80's? Are foreign films in or out for you?

Avatar: "Do you feel like a hero yet?""Surprise is an insubstantial blade, a sword worthless in war. It breaks when troops rally, it snaps when commanders hold the line, but fear never fades. So let the enemy know we come, let their fears defeat them as everything falls dark, as the worlds sun sets, as the city is wreathed in its final night. Let ten thousand howls promise ten thousand claws. The Night Lords are coming, and no soul that stands against us shall see another dawn"-excerpt from The Tenebrous Path

Kazuki_Fuse wrote:What subgenres of horror interest you (slashers, supernatural, psychological, body, etc) and do you only like modern horror or are you willing to watch stuff from the 70's/80's? Are foreign films in or out for you?

I'm willing to try out anything, but if I had to choose two, I would definitely choose psychological and body. I watched Cronenberg's the Fly 3 months ago for the first time and loved it. I already know I'll probably like other stuff he's done.

I saw Don't Breathe today. It's really good. Kept me guessing how it was going to end. It's contending with Green Room as the best horror/thriller of the year in my books.

Avatar: "Do you feel like a hero yet?""Surprise is an insubstantial blade, a sword worthless in war. It breaks when troops rally, it snaps when commanders hold the line, but fear never fades. So let the enemy know we come, let their fears defeat them as everything falls dark, as the worlds sun sets, as the city is wreathed in its final night. Let ten thousand howls promise ten thousand claws. The Night Lords are coming, and no soul that stands against us shall see another dawn"-excerpt from The Tenebrous Path

one thing that actually kind of bugs me about the original movie were all the questions the mere existence of a haunted videotape brought up. As technology Marches On wouldn't the tape just be forgotten and put into obsolescence? what if I converted the video into an mp4 file, would it still have the same effect on those who watched it, would its power be diluted? then there's the question scary movie brought up, if the footage of the tape was broadcast around the world would it kill everyone?

it looks like this new movie might actually answer some of those questions.

I’ll escape now from this world, from the world of Jean Valjean, Jean Valjean is nothing now! Another story must begin!Avatar: "There's a Starman, waiting in the sky. He'd like to come and meet me, but he thinks he'd blow my mind."Phew, I’m not tense anymore… now I’m just miserable.People say "be yourself" but that's bad advice, if we were all to "be ourselves" many of us would stop wearing clothes. -Chuckman

An American werewolf in LondonThe Howling (First movie not the sequels)Return of the living dead (First one only)GremlinsCritters (First movie only I hate the sequels)The Lost BoysHellraiser (First only)Alien and AliensPredator and predator 2The ThingThe FlyCreepshow

Clive Barker's stuff stops being scary when he starts focusing on the religious crap. We're too far into the strange aeon to give a shit about the existential horror of eternal damnation.

Hellraiser and so much of his other stuff is so fucking scary because it slips a knife in between our conscious minds and our lizard brains and wiggles it. It plays on our fear that we, in the sense of our consciousness, are prisoners of a body of instinct that we don't really control, but whose actions we must suffer consequences from.

Hellraiser in particular is frightening because it taps into the interplay of sex and violence and how sex is tied into aggression and predator/prey dynamics that we prefer to direct into more comfortable aspects of interpersonal relationships but are always under the surface. The Cenobites are creatures of the id and their presence asks disturbing questions that get into the mind and stay there. What if I enjoy hurting my partner? What if I take it too far? What if my fetish kills me? What if I want it to?

The fear doesn't come from the threat of mutilation but the unsettling suspicion that the cenobites are a core part of the human experience and instinctive drive.

I saw 31 at an advanced screening last night. I enjoyed it for what it was, but it seems Rob might be running out of steam in the "psychopathic hillbillies" department. If you liked House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects, you'll probably find something to like about this movie. On a side note, I could definitely watch a whole spin-off movie of Richard Brake's character, Doom Head. Once he entered the picture, the movie got a lot better.

Avatar: "Do you feel like a hero yet?""Surprise is an insubstantial blade, a sword worthless in war. It breaks when troops rally, it snaps when commanders hold the line, but fear never fades. So let the enemy know we come, let their fears defeat them as everything falls dark, as the worlds sun sets, as the city is wreathed in its final night. Let ten thousand howls promise ten thousand claws. The Night Lords are coming, and no soul that stands against us shall see another dawn"-excerpt from The Tenebrous Path

^All this image does is make me think about how the Joker would look if WB had the balls to make a live action R-rated Batman movie.

I’ll escape now from this world, from the world of Jean Valjean, Jean Valjean is nothing now! Another story must begin!Avatar: "There's a Starman, waiting in the sky. He'd like to come and meet me, but he thinks he'd blow my mind."Phew, I’m not tense anymore… now I’m just miserable.People say "be yourself" but that's bad advice, if we were all to "be ourselves" many of us would stop wearing clothes. -Chuckman

Avatar: "Do you feel like a hero yet?""Surprise is an insubstantial blade, a sword worthless in war. It breaks when troops rally, it snaps when commanders hold the line, but fear never fades. So let the enemy know we come, let their fears defeat them as everything falls dark, as the worlds sun sets, as the city is wreathed in its final night. Let ten thousand howls promise ten thousand claws. The Night Lords are coming, and no soul that stands against us shall see another dawn"-excerpt from The Tenebrous Path